Dornier 328 or what's flying nightly near York, Hershey chocolates.

Right now.
Dornier 328 turbo prop not the jet engine version.

This plane flies out of Manassas HEF then crosses over to Pennsylvania and hits autopilot for 360 perfect circle. This has been nightly forever. Site R (raven rock, letterkenny) Thank you Butcherguy! Thank you Zaphod!

I'm making this thread because this aircraft is a nightly guarantee. This aircraft is more true than "I got got YOUR speed check in an SR-71👈 great story.

Chambersburg 😒

I live in Lebanon PA and can’t ever say I’ve noticed this plane not as though I been looking for it but I’ll keep my eye out for sure, I’m less then 20 minutes from the target area.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Care to say how long exactly you have been observing this plane? The tone of the post seems to indicate its something you've been observing a long time, years perhaps, rather than 3 months or so.

Some high ranking government official wants chocolate and maybe some Donuts from some bakery around there?

originally posted by: Ameilia
a reply to: Bigburgh

Care to say how long exactly you have been observing this plane? The tone of the post seems to indicate its something you've been observing a long time, years perhaps, rather than 3 months or so.

I have seen this on ADS-B a few times but could never figure out what it was doing. I also saw something similar closer to Harrisburg. Intercepting comms from the PA Gov?

ETA: Two Dorniers near Elgin now landing. One did racetrack loops over Sarasota around 9pm.

a reply to: Bigburgh

It's not a Do 328, it's a DHC-8, as noted under the type. The two aren't the same thing. The DHC-8 is the replacement for the DHC-7 in Army service. The Dash 7 was the EO-5C.

EO-5C:



The Dash 8 is the RO-6A.



The EO-5C was part of the ARL-M program. The RO-6A is part of the ARL-E program, that replaces the -M. The ARL-E is equipped with a reconfigurable payload and enhanced COMINT and IMINT sensors including a long range and a short range Ground and Dismounted Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar (GMTI/'___'I/SAR), high-definition EO/IR FMV and Hyperspectral Imagery. The ARL-M is equipped with Communications Intelligence and Imagery Intelligence (COMINT/IMINT), Ground Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar (GMTI/SAR) and Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) Full-Motion Video (FMV) capability.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Bigburgh

It's not a Do 328, it's a DHC-8, as noted under the type. The two aren't the same thing. The DHC-8 is the replacement for the DHC-7 in Army service. The Dash 7 was the EO-5C.

EO-5C:

The Dash 8 is the RO-6A.

The EO-5C was part of the ARL-M program. The RO-6A is part of the ARL-E program, that replaces the -M. The ARL-E is equipped with a reconfigurable payload and enhanced COMINT and IMINT sensors including a long range and a short range Ground and Dismounted Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar (GMTI/'___'I/SAR), high-definition EO/IR FMV and Hyperspectral Imagery. The ARL-M is equipped with Communications Intelligence and Imagery Intelligence (COMINT/IMINT), Ground Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar (GMTI/SAR) and Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) Full-Motion Video (FMV) capability.

Why would they fly that around my neck of the woods?

a reply to: Brotherman

Training. I'm not sure where their home base is, but one was seen in Manassas, so that's just a short hop for them to get training in.

Here is a link to an informative article about what the RO-6A can do.
The Drive

A manoeuvre that precise is difficult to fly, one wing tip has to be pointed at a target on the ground with the perfect turn angle and holding altitude. What’s at the center of the circle?

a reply to: Nickn3

What’s at the center of the circle?

Nothing to see there other than farms along Jack's Mill Road.

a reply to: Brotherman
Brotheman, Jonestown pa here and an eye to the sky I do keep but have not peeped this one

Capital is close to there, three mile island although now deceased. Fort Indiantown gap has flight training a lot.

a reply to: Nickn3

It's not that hard. You can actually do it on autopilot.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks for the correction Zaphod. I swore there was a Dornier during one of these flights. But thank you very much for the specs


Edit: I watch them fly out of Manassas for a year now, but still can't pinpoint a hanger where they operate from. I could take a day trip, but I doubt the buildings will have identifiable markers on them.

So second would be, what are they watching over in the area they circle. Butcherguy said there is a military contractor in that area.

originally posted by: butcherguy
Here is a link to an informative article about what the RO-6A can do.
The Drive

Thanks
You were a big helping me getting the lay of the land correctly.

My last aircraft that I flew in the NG was an OV-1D before my injury. The OV-1's were in their last couple of years in service before replacement. I was not around when the change happened but I understand that it was the EO-5 (Dash 7).

My unit routinely had annual training at Ft. Huachuca ( Libby AAF), Arizona. This was due to the level of training and maintenance that was available there. I do not know where the 0-5 or 0-6's are based maybe Ft. Rucker, Al.

After 1992, I lost much of my contact with the command structure with my old unit so what aircraft they inherited is unknown. I'm also unsure if the airborne intel assets remained on the NG/AR level after the 1990's due to the complexity and classification of the on-board assets.

Any updates from the ATS community would be helpful! Sorry for my 30 year old memories.

a reply to: Capies

You'll usually see Blackhawks, A-10's and others training just north east near Harrisburg.. live right now.

a reply to: buddah6

Glad to have ya here

a reply to: Bigburgh

They're doing the same thing that Boeing does with the AH-64s out of Mesa. They track random vehicles going down the road, military trucks that are in the area, etc. They test systems and train crews, as well as getting pilot proficiency.